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Monday, September 9, 2013

My Book Jar!

My friend Berna was telling me about this thing that she does to choose some of the books that she reads, and it's called a book jar. Quite a few Booktubers (Katytastic and mothereffingbooks) and bloggers (Alex in Leeds) have made book jars as well! I thought it was a super fun way to mix things up when it comes to reading and I wanted to share it with you!

So, what is a book jar?

If you are how I was, having no previous knowledge of these things, a book jar holds a list of books. Particularly for me books I want to read and have been on my TBR (To Be Read) list for a while, the ones I've forgotten about. If you are one of those readers who have an overflowing TBR list or one who has a tough time choosing what book to read next, this is perfect for you!

How does it work?

On small pieces of paper, write down the name and author of the books you want to be in your jar, litter your jar with them, and then YOU decide the rest! It all depends on what you want to get out of your book jar. Do you want to challenge yourself to read one of those books a month? Every other month? Do you want the books in your jar to specifically be series that you've yet to finish? Series you've yet to begin? Only stand-alone novels? Books you want to read that month but have trouble deciding which to read first? A certain genre? Maybe you just suck at deciding what to read next and you decide to use this as a game of surprise! I've also seen people who put themselves on book-buying budgets use this to decide what book to buy next. You ultimately decide the terms of use (heehee!) for your book jar. But whatever you do, make it FUN! I know reading challenges can sometimes put unintended pressure on people and in the end, they make the whole experience burdensome. This is just supposed to be something fun to add to our reading routine. :)

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Here are a few pictures of my book jar! I decorated the jar with ribbons and yarn, and I wrote the books on pretty scrapbook paper. :) I'm really excited to use it within the next few months. If you are inspired to make one too, I'd love for you to send me a link to the photo in the comments below or tweet me a picture @hollysbooklove !

I participate in a monthly meme where we do this digitally and I LOVE it! You could put those books you really want to read in a special TBR list on Goodreads if you wanted. Or you could still use the jar, but link up to your choice on the meme - we all have fun seeing each other's choices each month! Check it out here!

I love the physical jar, it makes it more special :) Love hearing that you do something like this too! I'll definitely join, although I can't do it every month. I plan on using my book jar every other month starting October. :)

Curious about what I'm up to?

Hello, I'm Holly! Welcome to my blog!

Originally a book blog, Holly's Reading Hollow now includes anything and everything that has to do with me (Holly) and my life. Although, let's face it. Books consume a large fraction of my life and will be featured on here in some form or another. I read a lot of YA fiction but ultimately whatever I want. I also love writing, traveling, photography, learning, and smiling. Thank you for visiting my blog! I'm excited to chat with you! :)